Following the refusal of Russian-backed insurgents to lay down their arms or cooperate in a unilateral ceasefire, President Petro Poroshenko announced the resumption of the Anti-Terrorist Operation of the Armed Forces & National Guard on late on June 30.

We will attack and we will liberate our land. – President Petro Poroshenko

Since July 1 the campaign has been ongoing (you can follow our Liveblog series here). The assault by the Armed Forces has concentrated itself in air strikes and artillery, and sources within ATO command have estimatedcombined losses to pro-Russian forces the first two days to exceed 600, while losses to Ukrainian forces are claimed to have been minimal. Over 100 military attacks were recorded on Wednesday in the renewed offensive. By Saturday, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk were liberated as the Ukrainian military routed Russian forces that had been occupying those cities. Militants are now primarily concentrated in Donetsk while a number of leaders have reportedly fled to Moscow.

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Article by: Kateryna Zarembo The role of volunteers in sustaining the Ukrainian armed forces against the backdrop of Russian aggression cannot be overestimated. In 2014, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lacked troops, capacity, and resources....